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A recent study from Northwestern University found that men are more likely than women to share their creative work on the internet - even though both sexes are engaging in the same rate of creative activity.

Northwestern University NewsCenter reports:

"Because sharing information on the Internet today is a form of participating in public culture and contributing to public discourse, that tells us men's voices are being disproportionately heard," says Eszter Hargittai, assistant professor of communication studies at Northwestern University. Hargittai co-authored the study with Northwestern researcher Gina Walejko.

Overall, almost two-thirds of men reported posting their work online while only half of women reported doing so. When Hargittai and Northwestern's Walejko controlled for self-reported digital literacy and Web know-how, however, they found that men and women actually posted their material about equally.

"This suggests that the Internet is not an equal playing field for men and women since those with more online abilities - whether perceived or actual - are more likely to contribute online content," says Hargittai."

The solution to this problem may be providing women with more technical training. When they feel comfortable with online technologies, the playing field will be leveled.

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Copyright laws may encourage innovation, but they also make it difficult for students to access the materials they need. A recent Innovative article explains:

"In the past, copyright and education have evolved together in response to technological advances from the book to the videocassette, and copyright law has been designed to allow educators to use a wide range of media with their students. Stephen Marshall describes how digital communication technologies threaten these accommodations, not as a direct consequence of the technology itself or even of copyright law but rather as a result of the growing prevalence of control technologies aimed at extracting profits from every conceivable use of information. Marshall argues for a rethinking of copyright in the face of Web 2.0 technologies that do not fit into traditional conceptualizations of copyright and suggests that, if educators do not speak up, copyright law will be taken over by corporate forces interested only in profit, to the detriment of educational uses of media."

This can be a touchy subject. But, I believe it is possible to create copyright laws that benefit everyone - including the content creator, the publisher, the teacher, and the student.

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A new study shows that half of all college students are now using e-books. Wired Campus reports:

"Of 6,452 students worldwide who responded to the survey, 3,132, or 49 percent, said they never use e-books. The remaining 51 percent use e-books less than one hour to more than 10 hours per week. The survey was conducted by Ebrary, a company that provides electronic content and technology to libraries, publishers, and other businesses."

According to Wired Campus, the survey shows that we have a long way to go. However, I think it also shows that we have come a long way. Only recently have usable, convenient e-book readers been developed. As this technology improves and more textbook providers choose to offer their curriculum virtually, I believe the number of e-book readers will increase.

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According to one professor, online colleges are not embracing the web 2.0 technology that has made websites such as Facebook and Twitter popular. Ars Technica reports:

"Weller argues that the online communities fostered under the Web 2.0 umbrella perform a largely parallel function, in that they foster groups with common interest and link them to relevant materials. They don't fully replace the university experience, as these communities tend to have experts that are self-appointed, but Weller argues that the parallels between the two can't help but influence the expectations of students that have been raised in a Web 2.0 world.

Those expectations are nowhere close to being met by the education community. Weller notes that the software systems that many universities deploy have strict permissions limits that leave the posting of materials and launching of discussions strictly in the hands of the professors. "Why will they [students] accept standardized, unintuitive, clumsy and out of date tools in formal education they are paying for?" he asks. If the students can't meet their expectations through these systems, the students will just ignore them and start their own Facebook community; Weller paints a picture of university systems with "digital tumbleweed blowing down their forums."

This seemed to hold true in the last online course I took. The students were permitted to post in the message boards, but few chose to participate in this way. Hopefully online colleges will be able to adapt the best aspects of web 2.0 in their future course designs.

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One aspect to consider when choosing an online college is the school's required testing. Each virtual college has its own test taking policies and procedures. My latest About.com article discusses several types of online college test taking. Here's a blurb:

"Whether you thrive under pressure or prefer to learn in a low-key environment, it's important to find a college that meets your test-taking needs. Some online colleges require students to prove their knowledge by completing timed, high stakes exams. Others allow students to take tests at their own pace or prove their ability through alternative methods."

Check out the full article to learn more about the test taking options available from online colleges.

If you know what to expect ahead of time, you won't be stuck searching for a proctor or booking flights for on-campus exams.

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Video lectures aren't the most dynamic aspect of online learning. Instead of offering a face-to-face discussion, these segments are static and are often considered boring. In fact, I once knew a student who watched his Economics lectures at triple the speed to spare himself the tediousness. Simply put: many viewers would rather participate in a virtual video conference or learn on their own.

In response to these criticisms, a number of online professors are shortening the length of their lecture videos. The Chronicle of Higher Education reports:

"Just because 50-minute classroom sessions are the norm on a college schedule does not make that the ideal duration for students outside the lecture hall.

"Best practices are suggesting that shorter, modular clips ... are more successful than 50-minute sections," says John G. Flores, chief executive of the United States Distance Learning Association. "The days of having someone lecture for 50 minutes via video pretty much are - or are least should be - a thing of the past," he says.

And professors who have experimented with the short form online have learned something else: Shorter may work better in the classroom, too."

On one hand, this may make learning more enjoyable for virtual students. On the other, it may end up shortening their attention spans and depriving them of an in-depth education.